“Job a lesson to the Faithful.”

By Robben Wainer

            Who was Job? Why was he chosen? And what was he chosen for? I present the testament of Job almost as a case study to affirm the value of belief and holiness, in pursuit of the quality of life that is promised to us by living amongst the faithful. The book of Job establishes a relationship between man and God like no other book has achieved. It is the omnipotent wisdom of God as creator and his established need to be close to his children born of man that we find it is the human nature of Job himself who in testimony of his own conviction is redeemed and freed from the hands of Satan. That this quality of human nature is one that perseveres through its endurance of trial and tribulations in stating what convinces him of the goodness and power of the almighty. Yet it is also in this relationship that we find somehow that God is learning about his creation, in seeing his servant Job act as a faithfully as he does, the lesson seems to be both God is good in his creation of the universe and mankind is good in his coming into fruition as believers in human nature.

            Job as a creation story clearly shows from the beginning that it is Gods will to test human nature, this test is indicative of judgment, faithfulness and the morality of which God finds in man. Gods claim in being creator of the universe comes at the end of the reading, when he questions Job on what his appeal to judgment is to the God who has created life itself and all of the heavens and the earth. The saying “The Lord Giveth and the Lord Taketh away” Is stated in the book of Job when revealing what exactly happens when our lives are plagued by Satan. In Job we learn in the opening of the book, that a plague has killed his farm stock, and that a hurricane has killed his ten children, and yet the real test of Satan comes in Jobs response to the three friends who rather that comforting him aid in his persecution.

            Job is exemplary of human nature, at this point he finds life to be flawed, ruthless and unmerciful, yet his human nature would have him declare he would petition the God Yahweh, for his endless suffering when he has done nothing wrong, yet he says nothing that does not convince us that he is obedient while in his suffering declares that life is too painful to endure, and yet he must endure, if only to witness his judgment as given by God. God has established Job as exemplary of human nature based on his humility. While nowhere does it say he is the Son of God, sources have referred to Job as the Son of man, or even the Father of man, since it is this quality of testimony which attributes to the goodness of mankind and Gods creation. Yet we may say that Job in watching his ten children die was only meant to suffer. However, we learn that God has kept them in Heaven and will restore them upon God’s hearing of Jobs Testimony. It maybe that God is keeping them like angels, as we witness yet even further that as God has his role in all of creation, it is in human nature that we find Job to achieve perfection as a disciple.

            The relationship between God and Job is one that is perplexing, it seems as though God is testing him even as he voices his own petition. Rather than claiming it is human nature to suffer in sin. We witness Job who is stripped of all qualities of good and evil. He is stripped of all of the rewards of life like wealth, land and descendants, and in his plea that his life should end since this is the inevitable will of God we see that Satan really never wins the test, as Job who is also stripped of all evil believes that it his destiny to lay down and die. In questioning the will of God we witness Job is once again humbled but this time by the voice of Yahweh who distinctly sends his message. In this relationship it seems as though both God and Job have reached an understanding while as difficult to prove, they both have learned from the test. Job learns that he is not able to save himself in this life and that he must make his plea for Gods will in Good judgment, and yet in calling Job good it seems as though God has learned about his own nature in terms of temptation and the limits of his creation.

            Job is truly a testament of life and death, as we observe Job welcomes death if that is what he believes is God’s will in taking away from him all that is Good. Yet the curse is removed and Jobs wealth as well as the lives of his children which are restored to him. Towards the later part of the book we see a very moving appeal to his wife when Job asks if she believes he has sinned in anyway, and her reply is that the voice speaking to her now truly is the voice of God. In a very human sense Job is blessed for withstanding the test, and he becomes the light of the world for which human nature can persevere. It is in his example that we learn that human nature is not beyond suffering, yet in keeping the testaments holy, appealing to God as a servant of his will can only bring about the result of goodness, and the blessing of being forgiven and not blamed for having been judged.